Promoting Toastmasters
Every Public Relations officer - in any organisation - wants to know how to Promote their organisation appropriately. Toastmasters is no different - at Club, Area, Division and at District Level. This page outlines some ideas that you might like to try. = Ideas to Promote (Advertise) Toastmasters = * Print Media ** Daily Newspapers ** Community Newspapers ** * Television ** Community Television Stations - Usually cheaper than Cable or General free to air(English as a Second Language?) ** * Radio ** Advertisements ** Community Radio advertisements ** Community Interest Stories * Mail ** Targetted Mailouts * Posters * Business Cards ** Carry Toastmasters Business Cards and hand them out * Email Footers ** Proudly state that you are a Toastmaster * Resumes and CVs ** Include the fact that you are a Toastmaster in your Resume or Curriculum Vitae * Bookmarks ** Free at the Local Library? ** Free at the Local Bookstores? * Information Packs ** Downloadable from websites ** Available in "Showbags" * New Members ** New Member Kits * Pamphlets * Websites ** Keep them vibrant ** Use them as a Portal for All information ** Drive usage * Expo stands ** Careers Expo's ** In local shops! *** http://www.pbase.com/barry_2718/image/85994006 * Training institutions ** Technical Schools ** Technical and Further Education (TAFE) schools ** Universities and CAE's ** English Training schools * Companies ** HR Departments - Training programme able to be included in Employee Development Programmes ** Managers - Communicators, and recommenders of Training Programs * Social and Sporting Clubs *** Every club has an Executive/Committee that needs Leadership and Communication skills * Youth Leadership ** Target parents of the attendees * Certification Bodies ** Communication and Leadership qualifications ** Maintenance of Compulsory Professional Development * Social Networking activity Membership Building Ideas – Courtesy of Carole S. Breckner, DTM – Region V International Director Candidate * Ask a member from another club (look for one who you believe is especially motivational in their speaking ability) to do an education module at one of your club meetings. Create a guest list to invite prospective members who can benefit from the topic. Choose from the Successful Club or Successful Speaker series (Note: the evaluation and listening modules work particularly well.) * Create a holiday invitation (St. Patrick’s, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Cinco De Maio…etc.) and ask each member to hand out invitations to friends and co-workers. Plan your agenda around a holiday theme. * Plan a special showcase meeting * Invite members from around the district to present a special program. Invite guests and be ready to sign them up on the spot. * Conduct a Speechcraft. If you do not have enough members to successfully launch the program, call on members from other clubs to help out. Warning: don’t expect some else to do all the work, though. Charge a fee for the speechcraft that will cover the new member fee and the first six months of dues. At the end of the speechcraft, offer a “free” membership to all successful participants. * Appreciation night: Honor a community member at a special meeting. Ask the guest to say a few words promoting Toastmasters. Be sure to have lots of guests to help express your appreciation. * Design a club brochure and distribute it to prospective members. * Ask your Chamber of Commerce to list your Toastmaster meeting information in their newsletter and on their website. * Consider starting an advanced club that focuses on in-depth evaluations. Suggestion: each speaker should have three evaluators, in addition to the manual evaluator. These evaluators would concentrate on a specific area, such as: visual presentation (gestures, body language, use of space, etc.); verbal presentation (verbal crutches, creative language, variety, pitch, tone, etc.); and content (organization of thought, opening, body, close, impact on audience, etc.). Advanced club idea: Start an advanced club that focuses on club building ideas. Have all educational presentations and speeches concentrate on the topic of club leads, strengthening weak clubs, prospecting for members, etc. * Contact your city’s various cultural centers. They may be interested in starting a speechcraft for their members or perhaps a club. (Note: Many of these individuals will have English as a second language. It may be helpful to work with someone who is associated with the specific cultural community.) * Post brochures and flyers about your club at your local library. * Post brochures and flyers about your club at local bookstores, both new and used. * Invite a prospective member to attend a conference with you. * Send out press releases on all your activities. Don’t be discouraged if it takes awhile to be noticed. (Note: Small community newspapers are likely to give you the best coverage.) * Send personal notes to members that you haven’t seen for awhile. Let them know that you’ve missed them, and are anxious to have them back. * Buy a classified ad in your local paper. * Have club business cards made with your meeting date, location, time, and a contact number. Pass them out everywhere. * Run a Toastmaster ad in your company newsletter. * Invite your boss to a club meeting. * Make a list of all the people you know who would benefit from Toastmasters. Invite one person from the list to each meeting. Ask them to join. * Put a Toastmaster bumper sticker on your car. * Use a Toastmaster coffee mug at work. * Wear your Toastmaster pin on a regular basis, not just at Toastmaster meetings. * Sponsor a Toastmasters booth at community events. Follow up with people who express an interest. * Start a speaker’s bureau. Make sure your speakers promote Toastmasters at their engagements. * When someone compliments you on a presentation or a speech, be sure to mention that you developed your skills in Toastmasters. Ask if they would be interested in doing to same. * Ask your doctor, dentist, optometrist, etc., if you can leave Toastmaster brochures or magazines in their offices. Make sure there is a contact phone number to call for more information. * Start an advanced club that does television work. Contact your cable access channel or a vocational school that does this training. * Does the company where you work have a Toastmaster club? If not, start one. Contact a district officer for assistance. * Challenge the other clubs in your area to a membership contest. Losers buy pizza for everyone. * If you belong to other organizations that schedule speakers, try to include a fellow Toastmaster on the program. * Be active in your community. This puts you in touch with other people who may be interested in Toastmasters. If you meet in a public location, have a placard or other sign, which announces your meeting location, date and time. For example: XYZ Toastmaster club meets here, Wednesdays at noon. * Contact a women’s shelter about sponsoring a speechcraft. Since these are generally women in transition, make sure they have information about where to join a club after the speechcraft ends. Check with the agency that sponsors the shelter. They may be willing to have the speechcraft as a regular part of their program. * Leaflet a neighborhood with flyers about your club. (Note: this works well in apartment or condominium complexes.) * Ask the people you do business with on a regular basis to come with you to a meeting. Some ideas; banker, grocery clerk, gardener, veterinarian, postal clerk, real estate agent, clergy, retail store clerk, etc…. = Other Thoughts from the Web = * General blog on the topic http://www.toastmasters-networking.org/category/toastmasters-networking/ * A mindmap of other thoughts http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show_public/1599833 Category:Club Officer